INTRODUCTION TO THE
DISABILITY STUDIES PROGRAM

Students are an integral part of the IHDD. You bring intellect, creativity, energy, and enthusiasm to all of our projects and activities. All IHDD faculty and staff welcome your contribution. There are many ways you can participate in the Disability Studies Program, based on your academic goals and interests.

You are entering Disability Studies at a very exciting time. There are currently fiftyfour million children and adults with disabilities in the United States, and one million in Georgia, making this group one of the largest minority groups in our country (2000 US Census). The United Nations estimates that 10% of the world’s population has some type of disability (International Association for the Scientific Study of
Intellectual Disability, 2004). Despite the prevalence and common nature of the experience, however, individuals with disabilities have not always been accorded the same human and civil rights guaranteed to other citizens. Historically, they have been viewed as victims, helpless objects of pity, or even threats to themselves or others. Most have been subjected to segregation in “special” schools or institutions,
isolated from families and communities for the purposes of education or rehabilitation.

The good news is that we are currently witnessing a significant change in the ways people with disabilities are viewed and treated. Advocacy efforts begun by the parents of children with disabilities in the 1950’s resulted in the passage of the Education of All Handicapped Children Act (1975). This act was the disability equivalent of Brown v. Board of Education, mandating the provision of free and appropriate education for all children with disabilities in the ‘least restrictive environment” thereby allowing children to remain with their families in their own homes, schools, and communities rather than be institutionalized. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 1986) further expanded the rights and services for children in our schools.

While the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination against people on the basis of sex or race, disability was not addressed. The men and women with disabilities who had received education, thanks to the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, began their own civil rights movement, culminating in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), signed by President George Bush in 1990. At the signing on the White House lawn, President Bush declared,“Let the shameful wall of exclusion finally come down.”

For students in disability-related fields, you will increase your understanding of the social context of disability that extends beyond the boundaries of specific professions, and increase your capacity to work collaboratively with people with disabilities and their families, advocates, and professionals in multiple fields.

Students from disciplines across campus will increase your marketability as professionals by having education and experience related to the largest diversity group in the US. You will have the skills and attitudes needed to serve as leaders in affecting changes in policy and practice in your respective fields. There is a great need for professionals in all disciplines who are aware of issues related to disability and are comfortable interacting with people with disabilities. Disability issues are diversity issues.

Students with disabilities will have the opportunity to explore your identities as men and women with disabilities through the examination of disability as a social construct, with a raised awareness of your history and value as a cultural group. You will have the opportunity to learn from and work with recognized leaders in the Disability Rights Movement at the local, state, and national levels.

Almost 50 years of advocacy and social activism have resulted in more and more children and adults with disabilities being fully included as valued members of our families and communities.

Large institutions and other segregated settings are closing, and people with disabilities are claiming
their rights to participate in every aspect of society – as family members, friends, students, co-workers, and fellow citizens. While advocacy, legislation and policy change at the national level have mandated reform, much education and advocacy is needed to affect meaningful change in social attitudes, policy, and practice.

The purpose of the Disability Studies Program is to provide students at the University of Georgia
with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to become professionals and leaders capable of implementing change in attitudes, policy, and practice across the nation. These professionals will promote the true inclusion of individuals with disabilities as fully-participating members of our communities and nation, with all the rights accorded to every citizen.